Moonee Valley Coaches
Moonee Valley Coaches is a bus and coach operator in Melbourne, Australia. As a Melbourne bus company, it operates two bus routes under contract to the Government of Victoria.
Parent | Higginson family |
---|---|
Founded | 1964 |
Headquarters | Tullamarine |
Service area | North Melbourne |
Service type | Bus & coach operator |
Routes | 2 |
Stations | Essendon |
Fleet | 32 (May 2019) |
Website | www.mooneevalleybus.com.au |
History
In 1964 Ray Higginson bought a bus serving Dawson Street, Brunswick. By 1966, the business was named Moonee Valley Bus Lines, and in 1969, a partnership with Joe Bellafiori was formed.
Charter services commenced in 1968, expanding to Australia wide touring and camping tours in 1970 when the first new dedicated charter coach was bought. The early 1970s saw more expansion with the purchase of Nuline Bus Service, Caulfield. In 1985, the partnership was dissolved with Bellafiori taking Nuline Bus Service and Higginson Moonee Valley. In 1987, Cunningham Bus Lines was purchased with route 503 Essendon station - Brunswick East.[1][2]
In November 2014, a heritage museum was established within the company's Tullamarine depot.[3]
Fleet
As at May 2019, the fleet consisted of 32 buses and coaches.[4] Fleet livery is white with red stripes and blue signwriting while some new route buses carry the PTV livery.
Routes
As of July 2020, the Moonee Valley Coaches operates the following routes under contract to Public Transport Victoria:
- 503 – Essendon station to East Brunswick via Albion Street[5]
- 506 – Moonee Ponds to Westgarth station via Brunswick[6]
References
- "Victorian Buses in the Eighties" Australian Bus Panorama 6/8 May 1991 page 14
- Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Operators and Fleet Listings. Melbourne: Bus & Coach Society of Victoria. 1991. p. 40.
- "Preservation at Moonee Valley Coaches" Australian Bus issue 67 January 2015 pages 34-35
- Moonee Valley Coaches Australian Bus Fleet Lists
- "Routes". classic.ptv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- "Routes". classic.ptv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
External links
Media related to Moonee Valley Coaches at Wikimedia Commons - Company website
- Public Transport Victoria timetables